7 Favorite Cooking Techniques for Health

Over the years I adjusted my cooking methods to maximize both flavor and health! With a few easy tricks, your cooking routine can help you lose weight and gain energy. Give these a try and let me know what works best for you…

Water-sautéing:

Instead of frying with oil, I usually water-sauté instead. Water-sautéing is the secret to healthy cooking.

Start with onions and about ½ cup of water in a skillet. Heat at medium-high, covered. Add chopped veggies, most of which take 3-5 minutes, but potatoes more like 20 miuntes. When a fork goes through easily, it’s done.

I like to sauté beans and tofu for 5-10 minutes and tempeh at least 30 minutes. Add salt and spices toward the end of cooking, and allow to marinate as the water cooks into the food.

Still want oil? No problem – just put it on after everything’s ready to eat! Learn about the dangers of cooking with oil here.

Roasting with Parchment Paper:

Another great method to avoid heating oil! Line your baking sheet with parchment paper, placing veggies on top, and bake as directed. Add the oil after!

Still delicious, and much healthier for you and your family!

These fries are the perfect example. Still all the crispy texture, and you can even add oil spray after if you want.

(The recipe will be in the upcoming book, so stay tuned!)

Salad Storage:

Pre-making salads doesn’t sound like a good idea, but it works great with the right supplies. You’ll need a mason jar, a wide-mouth jar sealer, and a hand-held vaccuum sealer.

Prep the salad, dump into jar, put lid on it (without the ring), add jar sealer, and vacuum out the air for 10 seconds. Voilá! Salad for a week!

Maximize Digestion:

Adding one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to your beans after cooking goes a long way to maximizing digestion. For several more tips to improve your digestions… read 17 Ways to Maximize Digestion.

Marinating:

The secret to good tempeh and tofu is marination. These soy yummies can replace your meatballs, sandwich meats, taco meat, etc. etc. etc…

Tempeh, since it’s quite dense, does best with 2-3 days of marination. I chop it into small cubes or strips, then add Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or tamari, balsamic vinegar, and some garlic powder. For bonus points, try cayenne, onion granules, tarragon, liquid smoke, and or maple syrup.

A couple days later, water sauté it for a good 30 minutes, until tender. Tofu needs a similar treatment but will absorb the flavors much more quickly.

Artichoke hearts are better marinated too. Drain them, cut into bite-sized pieces, spray with Bragg aminos, and sprinkled with garlic powder. You can do this while preparing a salad, and add them last. The saltiness brings out their flavor beautifully.

Sprouting:

Making sprouts at home is economical and fun. It’s like your very own garden, but way smaller and simpler!

Start with a jar with a screen top to drain, or use cheese cloth.

Cover sprouts with water overnight. Drain, and then rinse throughout the day.

Takes a couple of days and voilá! Sprouts!

This is a great project for kids to help with. They love watching the seeds come to life!

Air-popping:

I LOVE popcorn, and I see no point to cooking it in oil. Add the oil after, without heating, for optimal health. Air-poppers are so fun and easy.

This White Truffle Popcorn is my absolute FAVORITE way to eat popcorn.